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Joshua
The life of Joshua becomes evident when he is the faithful sidekick to Moses. "And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek" (Ex 17:9). His faithfulness is evident by the next verse, "So Joshua did as Moses had said to him" (Ex 17:10). Joshua was one of the twelve selected to spy out the promised land. The book of Numbers gives the following account; "Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb... which were of them that searched the land... spake unto all the company... saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us... Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land... the LORD is with us... But all the congregation bade stone them with stones." (Num 14:6-10) As a result of this incident 40 years of wandering in the wilderness would witness the death of all those adults which had in unbelief and fear rejected the good news of Joshua and Caleb.
Forty years later Joshua rose to the leadership position after the death of Moses. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight." (Num 27:18+19).
"And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it." (Deut 31:7) So it was that the Hebrews were to enter into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. Many conquests and some defeats were to greet them as the Hebrews entered into this promised land, for it wasn't unoccupied. There were numerous people groups that resisted the incoming Hebrew population, these included the Canaanites, Jebusites, Hittites, Ammonites, and Philistines.
The crossing of the Jordan river holds an especially important spiritual message to todays reader. Of note is the fact that the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant were to cross the river first. "And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water... That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap... And the priests that bare the ark... stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan." (Jos 3:15-17). The message is that stepping out in faith is sometimes necessary to see God's handiwork and provision.
One of the most famous battles of the Bible occurred at Jericho under the leadership of Joshua. The battle plans defied all logic. The battle was by God's plan, and yet the people were instructed to do seven times as much on the Sabbath day, as they marched around the fortified city. Before the great battle Joshua had an unusual experience... "behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." (Jos 5:13-15) The following week the troops marched silently each day until the seventh day, as instructed by the Lord. And it came to pass on the seventh day that when they blew the ram's horn and all the people did shout "with a great shout" that the wall of the city fell down flat. (Josh 6:5)
Archaeology has confirmed the historicity of this account. Analysis by Bryant Wood, of the 1950 dig at Jericho, has shown the city is old enough, burnt, collapsed, and filled with grain just as the Biblical account tells us. Joshua was a real man, a Godly man, a man chosen of God to lead the conquest of the promised land. Joshua had a unique relationship with Moses and with God. Some have suggested that the Book of Joshua foreshadows the Book of Revelation, when Yeshua (Jesus) will conquer the nations and rule the seventh millennium as the walls of this world come tumbling down.
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